Per James Larsen Will Lewis, a long-time spring football executive, has returned to Houston with the Roughnecks brand he once helped launch in 2020. The former Assistant Director of Player Personnel has long-standing ties to most of the spring/summer football leagues that have come and gone whether as an executive or a player.
The 66-year-old former NFL defensive back didn’t have the clear path to long-term success some NFL players had. This shaped his views on alternatives to the NFL and has changed his career trajectory in multiple ways over the years. His first taste of alternative football came in 1983 with my hometown Denver Gold a team I once advocated to return to the USFL. He spent all three years with the league jumping to the Houston Gamblers for the next two years. His first stint in Houston with an alternative league.
From then on Lewis turned his attention to the CFL looking for a way to continue his career. As is often the case, the connections he would make north of the border would help build his future in football after he hung his cleats up. For four years after the USFL Folded, Lewis played in the CFL primarily with the Ottawa Rough Riders. His final season came in 1989 a decade and 8 teams after his professional career began. He didn’t stay away from football for long.
Coaching Career Begins
For two seasons Will Lewis was a part of another league that looked to provide an alternative to the NFL. The World League of Football was an innovative and expensive approach to an NFL alternative and an effort to quite literally jump the gap from the US, to Europe and bring professional American football to a hungry crowd, most importantly it was backed by the NFL. He joined the NY/NJ Knights as a defensive assistant.
This staff featured many men known for their time in alternative football leagues. Former USFL, and AFL coach Tim Marcum who was pulling double duty serving as Head Coach of the Detroit Drive and Assistant Head Coach with the Knights. Mouse Davis also coached in the NFL, AFL, USFL, and AF2. Larry Zierlein had arena experience before the WLAF and went on to coach in the original UFL for two seasons. Dan Lounsbury also spent time in the Regional Football League and CFL. Defensive coordinator Joe Haering was a longtime AFL Head Coach, as well as current Memphis Showboats Special Teams Coordinator Frank Gansz Jr. who also spent time in the CFL, and XFL 2020.
In 1993 after the WLAF shut down Lewis spent a year away from coaching before joining the University of Maine as a Secondary Coach. A year later the Falcons hired him as a defensive assistant. You may recognize the head coach who hired him…June Jones. Jones was also later the Head Coach of the Houston Roughnecks in 2020, and the Seattle Sea Dragons Offensive Coordinator in 2023. Oh, what a tangled web we weave in the world of football. It’s all too fitting this all happened with the Falcons a franchise that has a long history of growing ties from the NFL to alternative leagues.
From Coach to Scout
Lewis’s next stop was with Green Bay. This time as a scout. This proved to be a very influential change in his career. He worked next to or around men like Ron Wolf, Reggie McKenzie, Ted Thompson, John Dorsey, Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, and Mike Sherman. In 1998 he moved over and assisted the pro personnel department.
After 1998 Holmgren moved on to the Seahawks and Lewis followed. For the next decade plus he remembered his roots pulling in players from unique backgrounds. The Seahawks signed former UFL players DE Derek Walker, and DE Maurice Fountain both of which came from the Hartford Colonials, CB Coye Glenn Francis of the Locomotives who made the practice squad, and QB J.P. Losman, K Stephen Hauschka previously with the Las Vegas Locomotives who made the active roster. Brandon Browner came from the Calgary Stampeders. The list goes on and on.
After a decade in Seattle, he moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs following a former colleague in Green Bay…Andy Reid. In Kansas City, he has another former Colonial player Quentin Demps starting at times. Dominique Jones a tight end got his start in the UFL and played indoor football before he went on to spend several years in the NFL. Fred Williams a former Arena Football League receiver with the San Jose Sabercats spent 3 years with KC after getting his start in the AFL. Earl Okine started his career in the CFL, and AFL before getting an NFL contract in year 3.
Beginning of Alternative Football Executive Career
After spending five years with KC he was let go. This would lead him back to alternative football. The timing lined up perfectly for Lewis to take on a promotion with the AAF. He was hired as the General Manager of the Memphis Express. His brother Tim Lewis would also get his first Head Coaching job in the AAF with the Birmingham Iron. More on that later.
While with the AAF Lewis built a roster that would affect the landscape of alternative football for years to come. Many forget it was the Express who first gave Brandon Silvers a chance to play even though they had brought in former first-round pick Johnny Manziel and former second-round pick Christian Hackenberg. Also on this roster were Dontez Byrd, Reece Horn, Fabian Guerra, DeMarquis Gates, Terrell Bonds, Channing Stribling, Arnold Tarpley III, Robert Myers, and many others who went on to have long spring football careers and many are still playing to this day, a credit to the scouting department for identifying and bringing in professional level players.
As we now know the AAF made it just 8 games, and ultimately folded with many members of the league jumping to the 2020 relaunch of the XFL, including the Lewis brothers. Will was hired by Houston reuniting with June Jones and Randy Mueller both of which he knew from his time in the NFL. Serving as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel he helped build the only undefeated roster in XFL history so far and helped lure future NFL players like PJ Walker, and future CFL starters James Butler, and Cam Phillips.
After Covid forced the XFL to shut down, we didn’t hear from Lewis for a while. It wasn’t until the XFL returned for the 2023 season that many of the former XFL 2020 executives, and coaches began to return to the league, and with them came XFL 2020 players as well. This time Lewis was with San Antonio not Houston assisting Hines Ward the Head Coach for the 2023 season.
Brahmas 2023 Season, The Front Office is Tested
During the 2023 season, the San Antonio Brahmas watched as multiple quarterbacks were hurt and left them bringing in recent NFL names midseason with the signing of Kurt Benkert. They also brought in players like John Parker Romo, Kohl Levao, and Matthew Gotel who went on to find NFL interest. He also drafted the son of a man he once played in the USFL with. Howard Ballage and Will Lewis once went against each other in practice each day with the Denver Gold in 1983, forty years later Lewis drafted Howard’s son Kalen for the first time he considered spring football. As if that story wasn’t cool enough how about the chance to draft your son? That’s right Ryan Lewis former NFL defensive back would follow his father to San Antonio.
The season did not end well with the Brahmas finishing 3-7. Following the 2023 season and months of speculation it was announced that the XFL and USFL intended to merge, forming a new iteration of yet another former spring football league; The United Football League. With this certain aspects of the USFL approach were adopted and with that came lower salaries for coaches, something Hines Ward was not willing to accept. The one-time AAF Head of Player Development and XFL Head Coach instead jumped back into the college ranks as the wide receiver coach for Arizona State University.
With this decision came a subsequent decision from the league to pivot and instead retain the staff of the Houston Roughnecks even though they had previously been on the chopping block. This meant the Brahmas original staff was essentially disbanded after one year, and Lewis was one of the casualties. Now Lewis returns to the XFL, and this time with the team he should have been with from the very beginning, the Houston Roughnecks. This will be the third stint and fourth year of his career representing the city of Houston. It also marks his return to the Roughnecks. While on the surface it appears this could signal a return of Curtis Johnson as the Head Coach, but what if, Lewis is just the man entrusted with rebuilding the once undefeated XFL 2020 franchise and given a chance to have a say in the next head coach of the Roughnecks?
It would certainly be interesting to see another Lewis family reunion with an XFL Franchise…
However, that might be tough to do with what is reported to be another pay cut and seasonal pay coming for coaches. Chances are Tim Lewis wouldn’t be available unless the timing of the season were to change, and even then it would be a stretch. Could they even revisit other former Roughnecks? I know a June Jones return might be complicated but what about a promotion from within the league?
Aj Smith would be an interesting name. He is the current offensive coordinator for the Brahmas. He spent the 2020 season in the XFL with the Roughnecks returning with the team in 2023. When the Roughnecks staff moved over to San Antonio he followed but a return to Houston as the head coach could be a popular move for fans.
Former TSL head coach and USFL defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell could make sense as well. He was left out of the new league and while he could choose to retire he strikes me as a coach who won’t be willingly giving up football anytime soon.
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Back to the Sidelines?
They could also get creative and chase a former XFL and later Houston Texans coach Pep Hamilton who spent this last season as an analyst for the NFL Network. He could even follow a similar path to Rod Woodson, and coach in the spring, and work with NFL Network in his UFL offseason.
Rebuilding the Roughnecks
Regardless who the Head Coach is in 2025 for the Roughnecks it’s clear it’s time for a rebuild of the Roughnecks. If you look at the combined records of the 2022 and 2023 Houston Gamblers, and the new 2024 Roughnecks it is not a pretty picture. Houston sits 9-21 over three seasons under the guidance of Kevin Sumlin in 2022 (3-7), and Curtis Johnson in 2023-2024 (6-14).
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